Cleveland Indians: 3 players to rule out from trade deadline talk

Player #1 to rule out for the Cleveland Indians

One of the hottest names on the trade market this season is Trevor Story. Now in his sixth season, Story has had an up-and-down career. His first season put him deep in the Rookie of the Year conversation, but sporadic injuries made his progression seem to be on a lower trajectory than anticipated. After bouncing back last season by leading the National League in triples and stolen bases, he could now be on the move.

This season, Story is batting .242/.315/.399 with five home runs, 12 doubles and nine stolen bases. It’s a bit lower than last season, but given that this is a contract year for Story and the Colorado Rockies are expected to be sellers at the deadline, a trade would make sense.

Currently, Story counts for $18.5 million against the books, but there’s the plus of him being a free agent, at least in the eyes of a buyer. Story would be a rental, which drops his price a bit, but he also won’t carry a big price tag for multiple seasons.

The reason why the Tribe can cross him off though is that $18.5 million on top of him just not really being a need. Story’s salary would be the highest in Cleveland, nearly doubling that of Jose Ramirez. Also, Amed Rosario has been playing rather well this season and has pretty much became the everyday shortstop role.

Since Story is so expensive and has only played shortstop in the majors, there just isn’t enough of a reason for Cleveland to go after him.